[Sca-cooks] Cooking contest

[Stephanie Ross]

Morgana wrote:
<<I know there has been a problem in these parts
with some poorly behaved Laurels who just *lived* for entering
competitions against novices just so they could have easy wins and, of
course, be really poor sports about the whole thing. It lead to events
simply setting up categories so that novices weren't competing against
Laurels.>>

This is just so wrong. We have petty, small-minded Laurels in my kingdom
too, but I've never known them to be THIS blatant. If novices can't compete
against Laurels, then how are Laurels to be able to notice them and get
them elevated? Plus it's such a great learning experience for all sides, it
would be a shame to have to always separate the Laurelate. Folks need to
see what quality of work is expected of a Laurel, and the Laurels need to
see who is up-and-coming. In Trimaris, cooking isn't nearly the big deal as
it is in the East (more's the pity). I know you all laugh at the state of
period cooking in Trimaris. I despair over it. I believe Maire Ceilidh is
the only Laurel we have now who was elevated strictly for her cooking. We
have others who are good cooks who got elevated for domestic sciences, not
cooking per se. If we were to hold cooking competitions and our Laurels
behaved like this, then interest in period cooking would go right down the
tubes rapidly. We still have problems with attendence at A&S due to Laurels
and apprentices tearing entries apart unkindly. Once the populace gets a
bad taste in its mouth over something, it will refuse to participate. The
populace also has (a) very long memor(y)ies, and those you step on today
may be the  Royal Peers of tomorrow and exact revenge. 

~Aislinn~
Et si omnes ego non.

"The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the
first and only legitimate object of good government." --Thomas Jefferson to
Maryland Republicans, 1809.